Wish You Were Here
by Mishiko Shinsei
Summary: AU. Crossover with Yami no Matsuei. SxYY. HiSuki. Mentions of other YGO and YnM pairings. Shinigami on parade. First of three series. Rated for later chapters. Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.

**Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part 1) - Prologue**

_Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter,  
you piper, you prisoner, and shine!_

_**Seto**_

Of course he doesn't want to die.

Not now.

Not now that he and Yami have finally made it official. Sure they'd been together for more than 10 years, but the commitment ceremony with all of their friends and family only happened last week. He had plans to spend the rest of his life with Yami by his side. So he didn't want to die now.

Not now that Mokuba had finally figured out that he didn't care that Mokuba, Shuzuka and Otogi had been together as a 'family' for more than three years. Seto had discovered his 24-year-old brother's secret a year ago, but waited for Mokuba to confide in him about it. He hated having secrets between them. Otogi finally convinced Mokuba to 'come clean' and his brother had told him everything a few months ago.

That's why they're in the Blue Eyes' jet flying back early from their honeymoon, Shizuka went into premature labor and Seto wanted to be their for the birth of his brother's first child and to offer moral support.

But the storm had come out of nowhere. Lightning struck them many times, seemingly drawn to the Blue Eyes as though paying homage to their master.

Had he thought to bring his deck along, Yami could have used shadow magic to call forth two of the real Blue Eyes' to guide them down safely like they did during that DOMA fiasco all those years ago.

Had he thought they stood a chance in hell of getting a chute to open in this maelstrom, they'd have strapped them on and he'd have popped open the cockpit for them to escape.

Had he thought his end would come like this…

"Yami," he calls to his beloved, whose eyes burn with fury. He understands his koi's rage, but he can't allow himself to be overcome in the same way.

"Give me your hand, Yami," he reaches out, his heart aching as he realizes he'll never touch his Pharaoh again.

Suppressing his grief, he calmly placed their matching bands and a handwritten farewell into the indestructible black box equipped with a Kaiba Corp. beacon before cradling a shaking Yami in his arms as they rapidly descend. His last thought a wish for Yami to be by his side in the afterlife.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger,  
you legend, you martyr, and shine!_

****

**_Yami_**

He couldn't stop shaking and felt completely useless because of it.

They'd just had the one of happiest weeks of their lives and for everything to end like this…

Seto would never see Mokuba's baby. Mokuba would never see his beloved brother again.

He'd never see his aibou again.

That last thought only made him shake harder. No tears. He doesn't feel the need to cry. Truthfully, he's more angry than sad.

Why now? After all they've been through, after all the danger they'd been in as high schoolers and in their early twenties, why the hell did they have to die now?

"Yami," Seto's voice calls to him, dimming his rage somewhat.

"Give me your hand, Yami," his koi reaches out calmly.

Yami responds without thinking, knowing that whatever Seto asks of him would never be harmful in any way. His koi takes his left hand, kissing each finger lightly and reverently before sliding the solid platinum band from his third finger.

"Seto, what are you doing?"

"For the box," he replies in that equally calm voice. "So they can have something of ours for the memorial."

That's his Seto, practical and sentimental all in one. He watches him write the short note before placing it inside the box with their rings on top before sealing it.

He almost breaks with the overwhelming realization that gesture brings. There will be no last minute save by his Dark Magician or Seto's dragons. Neither he nor Seto had a way out of this situation. His shaking gets worse as the finality of the moment hits him.

"Come here," Seto entreats.

Gratefully, he climbs into Seto's warm lap, cradled in his koi's strong, sure arms. At the light kiss applied to his forehead, he prays to every god he's ever known that he spend the rest of eternity in Seto's loving embrace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky._

**_A.D._**

Of all of them, Shizuka seemed the most shattered.

Everyone expected Mokuba and Yugi to require sedatives to make it through the service, but they remained relatively stable.

'Shi-chan' had to be held up by her brother and Otogi for the portion of the service she actually made it through. She and Otogi missed most of it because she fell into hysterical sobs and had to be taken outside. Deciding not to tempt fate once she'd calmed some, Otogi took her back to the mansion and lay her down in a guest room where she stayed for the rest of the day.

Several weeks passed before she could explain feeling so guilty that Seto hadn't had the chance to meet his nephew because it had been her decision to wait to have a baby. Jou, Otogi and Mokuba comforted her as best they could, but she never quite recovered.

Emotionally, she became much more distant and for nearly a year barely let Otogi and Mokuba near her. Her first-born became the center of her world and she'd often disappear with him for days at a time, especially frightening Mokuba as Seth was his child by blood. Only the comfort of Otogi's arms kept Mokuba from going crazy himself.

Eventually, Otogi and Mokuba forced Shizuka into therapy, returning some sense of normalcy to their lives. She had one more child five years later, a girl they named Yamiko with Otogi's green eyes and black hair, who she saw only once before death claimed her.

When she again opens her eyes, she sees Yami smiling down at her, an unknown blonde standing behind him, and promptly faints.


	2. Welcome to the Machine

Disclaimer: Just own the words, not the folks.

**Welcome to the Machine – Chapter 1**

_Where have you been? It's all right we know where you've been.  
_

_**Yami**_

Seto looks ready to kill.

Not that I blame him. I'm not too thrilled with what's happening either. Being dead is bad enough, but now we're supposed to spend our afterlife escorting souls to be judged as 'penance' for the wrongs we committed while we lived.

Ridiculous!

I thought Seto and that Enma guy were going to come to blows for a minute, but Seto seemed satisfied to yell, for all the good it did. We're still here at the judgment bureau sitting in a conference room waiting for answers as to what our duties as shinigami will entail.

The conference room door opens and a handful of men enter and begin introducing themselves. One glance at Seto tells me that I'm going to have to remember their names to relate them later because he doesn't care to pay attention.

First to speak is a stocky, older man who looks to be a little taller than me. Konoe is his name and he's the head of the Summons Section, which is apparently where we are. He talks about what it means to be a shinigami and that our time here will be governed by how much wrong we have to atone for, which is ultimately decided by the man or entity that Seto held up by the collar earlier. Oh joy.

He explains about housing and that we're allowed have a place both here and on earth if we can afford it. Cars are apparently unnecessary in the meifu, or land of the dead, but we could have one on earth if we wanted and could afford it. Seto snorts with disdain at Konoe's repeated mention of 'affording' whatever we want. When asked if he has a question, Seto replies that he has enough money to buy and sell everyone in the bureau. A mini-lecture follows, reminding us that we are to have no contact with our former lives.

"I won't," Seto retorts dismissively.

"Then how else would you have access to larger sums of money?" Konoe prods.

"That's for me to know," Seto sneers.

There's a momentary pause where I think Konoe is about to force the issue, but he backs down instead. I'm sure it has something to do with the snarl of challenge Seto sends his way.

Clearing his throat, Konoe goes on to stress the importance of every shinigami having a partner and that he'll choose one for each of us. Then we hear about spells we will need to learn, paperwork required at the end of every assignment, budget constraints, and not getting too involved with the lives of the souls we encounter. His last little tidbit of information is that we should call him kacho.

Next up is a slim blonde with bright green eyes and a scowl to match Seto's. His name is Kurosaki. He looks to be about my height and build. He tells us that he's been a shinigami for a little over ten years and then gives us an overview of a typical case. Standing behind him is a tall brunet with violet eyes whom he introduces as Tsuzuki. Though they aren't touching or even standing that close, it's obvious by their body language that they are together. I catch Seto's raised eyebrow as we both realize that's it's also pretty obvious who's "in charge."

At Kurosaki's urgings, Tsuzuki steps forward to explain about something called shikigami. They are apparently magical beings that some shinigami can call forth to battle demons if necessary. Not all shinigami have them, but most do, usually one or two at a time; sometimes a few more. He goes on to explain about the different types and levels of shikigami and how they can best be used.

_Sounds like Duel Monsters_, I hear Seto scoff, though I didn't see his lips move.

"So these…beings come whenever you call?" I clarify.

"Yes. They are bound to the shinigami who summons them," Tsuzuki nods.

"So they are enslaved to you?" I press. That doesn't sit well with me at all.

"No!" He replies vehemently. "No, they are not slaves! They are my friends!"

Hmm. Looks like I touched a nerve.

Catching Seto's predatory grin out of the corner of my eye, I know he's about to stomp on it.

"They're not your slaves, but yet they do your bidding at all times?" Seto ventures. "What if there's a chance that they could get hurt? Or killed? Do they still have to bow to your will?"

"Yes," Tsuzuki replies quietly, head down, face hidden. I catch the blonde's slight step closer.

"Then they are your slaves," Seto sneers.

"No," Tsuzuki counters evenly, head still down. "They are not."

"So, let me understand how this works," Seto stands, arms crossed defiantly. "We're supposed to spend an indeterminate amount of time running around the afterlife, forcing people who don't want to be dead to come here and get judged by the great Enma.

"To do this, we get a paltry salary, live like urchins, drown in paperwork and have a partner to help us do so. If we're good, we work off our penance at some point and then get to go on our merry way.

"In the meantime, we could run into a demon or three and if the spells we learn don't work on them, we have shikigami that we can use as slaves to fight for us."

"They are not my slaves!"

Tsuzuki's raised voice carries under it a hint at immeasurable power. The violet of his eyes dim to almost black and I can feel a dark power crackling all around us. Kurosaki is now actively trying to pull the brunet away as Konoe urges him to calm down.

Not liking the look on Seto's face, I stand and move next him, knowing that my love will never be the first to back down in a confrontation. He continues to glare at everyone in the room defiantly, a nasty sneer curling his lip. I know it's too late for my plan to try and diffuse him before he blows when I catch the glint of madness in his eyes as he prepares to blast Tsuzuki once more.

"So how many slaves do you own, Tsuzuki?" he taunts.

A snarl of rage, much like that of my beloved, erupts out of Tsuzuki's throat. The expected lunge of his body at Seto's proud frame doesn't come, instead the dark power I felt earlier moves to encase us. Instinctively, I call my shadows for protection, realizing belatedly that we are no longer alive nor on Earth. Closing my eyes, I wait for the end to come.

Surprised gasps and Seto's hands on my arms greet me instead.

"Yami?" my Dragon grips my arms loosely. "How did you…? I thought that power died with your body."

"Enma didn't mention that you were a shadow master," a stern voice observes behind me.

I turn to face the tall, impeccably clad, blue-eyed man who'd yet to speak and am shocked to find the three of us nearly sealed inside a ball of my shadows.

"I didn't think they'd work here," I assert.

"They work quite well," the other replies. "In fact, I'm unable to budge them."

"And that means what to us," Seto growls.

A thin column of shadow, made from the small amount of light entering my slightly open sphere and resting on his shoe, suddenly solidifies enough to nick a hole in Seto's shirt.

"Because I've been a shadow master for over five decades," he replies coolly, dissipating his creation.

I find it takes more concentration than normal to bring down the sphere. Outside of it, three shocked faces stare at us.

"Wh-what the hell was that, Tatsumi?" Tsuzuki exclaims. "Why would you protect them after what he said?"

"It wasn't my doing," he levels smoothly. "Yami is a shadow master in his own right."

The eyes already wide on shocked faces grow even wider.

* * *

_What did you dream? It's all right, we told you what to dream.  
_

_**Seto**_

This is ridiculous. I'm not spending my eternity chasing dead people. That Enma fucker better let me out of here soon.

And where the hell is Yami? I though we were both supposed to meet Konoe here.

I pull out the note that had been left on our breakfast tray this morning and read it again. No, it's just my name on the note.

Well, whatever that short little bastard has to say, he'd better make it quick. I'm going to go tell that prick Enma what I really think of him.

I look up to see Konoe and that purple-eyed, slave master come into the conference room.

"It took you long enough!" I snap. "I've been waiting here for nearly 20 minutes!"

"Sorry. That was my fault," the idiot slave master admits.

"Of course it is," I reply to his stupidity.

"Seto, you will partner up with Tsuzuki for the time being," Konoe interjects.

"Not a snowball's chance in hell," I sneer.

Me work with that purple-eyed idiot? He must be joking.

"I see in your file that you have an affinity for dragons and Tsuzuki has several in his arsenal of shikigami," Konoe continues as though I hadn't spoken. "I think he's best suited to help you find your own dragons to bond with."

"I said no, you idiot. Besides, I know where my dragons are. I don't need help finding them."

"No. You don't know where they are," he grins knowingly. "But you will soon."


End file.
